The Coalition for Human Rights & Democracy in Bangladesh (CHRD Bangladesh) welcomes the new Interim Government (IG) headed by Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the innovative Grameen Bank, world-renowned for its poverty alleviation program. The new administration took oath of office on August 8, 2024. The IG is composed of 17 members which include two representatives of the Students Organizations that spearheaded the month-long movement ending in the termination on August 5, 2024 of the dangerous and authoritarian regime of Sheikh Hasina, who had lost all popular support due to her extreme human rights violations and corruption.
Law and Order
The Interim Government has a very challenging task ahead. The immediate work is to restore law and order in the country. As is usual in a post revolution/uprising, public life has been seriously disturbed and dislocated, mainly due to the brutal crackdown by the regime’s draconian forces on the peaceful protestors, killing possibly over a thousand people while wounding thousands of others.
The situation has been aggravated by the absence of a large number of security personnel of police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the Bangladesh Border Guards, who had earlier participated in the anti-people brutalities. It is understood that most of them obeyed orders from higher authorities. We expect the innocent, neutral and conscientious elements in these forces to come forward and help the new administration. Public discipline must be restored at the soonest.
Release of Political Prisoners
During the 16-year long authoritarian rule of Sheikh Hasina, thousands of opposition activists have been sent to jails on false or flimsy charges. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) alone claims 5 million fake cases have been filed against its members. These political prisoners must immediately be released and all false charges against them be withdrawn.
We are happy to note that the process has started. We were greatly gratified to see the freedom of the BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, the highest on the list of victims of Sheikh Hasina’s personal vendetta. Brigadier Amaan Azmi and Barrister Bin Kashem Arman, the brilliant but innocent sons of Sheikh Hasina’s nemesis, were released from the so-called Ayna Ghar (House of Mirrors) after eight years of enforced disappearance. There are hundreds of others whose whereabouts are still unknown. They all should be traced and returned to their families urgently, in addition to bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Fixing the Administration
Due to unprecedented corruption, random looting and disproportionate public or developmental works, the Bangladesh coffers have been emptied. Prices of essential commodities are beyond the reach of common people. Immediate steps are needed to fix the anomalies and bring the prices of goods to the reach of all Bangladeshis.
We, at CHRD Bangladesh, take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the students and people of the country who succeeded in ousting a treacherous authoritarian regime at a huge cost. We sincerely pray for the departed souls of the martyrs and their families. Credit may also go to the Bangladesh Army, particularly its members in the lower echelons who remained sincere to the students and their patriotic movement to create a new Bangladesh based on the values of democracy and equality.